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Men's Basketball

Kentucky And 4 Other SEC Teams in Preseason Top 25: What You Need To Know

Published

2 years ago

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UK Athletics

The Wildcats being preseason ranked by the Associated Press isn’t something that is too unfamiliar to Cats fans, specifically this year being the #4 team in the country.

Yet, the SEC continues to improve and is as good as ever with 5 teams in the Top 25, tied for the most of any conference.

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With that said, let’s talk about Kentucky’s competition for the SEC and some players we need to know about each team.

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Arkansas Razorbacks

Eric Musselman has shown out with his impressive recruiting tactics in recent years, which has led him and the Razorbacks to two straight tournament appearances, including an Elite Eight last year. Yet, this year he is bringing in his best class.

According to 247 Sports, Arkansas’s incoming class is ranked 2nd overall, led by 6 incoming freshmen (three Top 25 commits) and 5 transfers. Nick Smith is the name to remember, a top 5 recruit anywhere you look, who will be paired with junior guard Davonte Davis, who averaged a little under 9 points a year ago.

Arkansas has as deep a team as anyone in the country and has the talent to be a national title threat.

Tennessee Volunteers

Right behind the Razorbacks, the Tennessee Volunteers are ranked No. 11 in the preseason AP poll. Unlike Arkansas, Tennessee will rely on its experience this year.

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Returnees Santiago Vescovi, Josiah-Jordan James, and Zakai Zeigler, were all three named on All-SEC teams, with Vescovi as one of the guard spots on the first team.

Rick Barnes will experience some offensive drop-off after losing Kennedy Chandler to the NBA Draft last year, but not as much as other teams in the SEC would hope. The Vols will pair their three preseason All-SEC shot creators with senior big men Uros Plasvic and Olivier Nkahhoua to put them in a spot to contend for a Final Four this season.

Auburn Tigers

The defending SEC regular season champs are ranked as the No. 15 team coming into this season, but lost star players Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler to the NBA Draft.

The Tigers don’t bring in a lot of freshman talent but do have five-star big, Yohan Traore, coming in. The bigger news for Auburn this basketball offseason was the commit by Morehead State Forward Johni Broome, who will be a double-double machine.

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Returnees K.D. Johnson and Wendell Green will most likely lead the front court, but what stood out the most in Bruce Pearls’ eyes during the Israel trip Auburn took this past summer is Allen Flanigan.

Pearl has Flanigan, who is coming off of an Achilles injury, in an escalated role this season. A Tiger team led by Broome and company should have Bruce Pearl ecstatic for the upcoming year.

Alabama Crimson Tide

Rounding out the Top 25, Alabama is placed as the No. 20 team this year. Nate Oats has brought success to the basketball program in his tenure in Tuscaloosa and doesn’t plan on stopping.

Jahvon Quinerly, who is entering his fourth year of college ball, is the perfect floor general to lead what is the third-best recruiting class coming into this year according to 247 Sports.

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The name leading that recruiting class is Brandon Miller, a top-ten recruit. The 6-foot-8 forward is as versatile and efficient on offense as any player in the league. The Crimson Tide are also bringing in former Kentucky target, Jaden Bradley.

Nate Oats and his team have the talent and may have one of the highest ceilings in the conference if everything falls correctly. If so, the Crimson tide could cause some damage in the SEC.

The SEC is as competitive as ever. Even outside the five teams ranked in the Top 25, the SEC has teams like Texas A&M, Florida, and Missouri that could make a push for an NCAA Tournament appearance

In addition to a difficult non-conference schedule, the league as a whole will give the Cats nothing but good experiences and tough matchups that will prepare them enough in order to succeed in March.

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Men's Basketball

Former Kentucky Player, Top Recruit Could Be Involved in Point Shaving Scheme

Published

22 hours ago

on

November 23, 2024

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Kentucky transfer Aaron Bradshaw is alleged to be involved in a college gambling scandal.

Once a projected top-10 pick, former Kentucky Wildcat Aaron Bradshaw is now away from the Ohio State basketball program for unclear reasons.

On Friday, the program released a statement that Bradshaw is not currently participating in team activities, but that they could not comment further due to federal privacy laws.

“Aaron Bradshaw is not currently participating in team activities,” the statement read. “The university is following its established process. Due to federal privacy laws, we cannot share further information at this time.”

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Ohio State coach Jake Diebler held a press conference Friday night after the Buckeyes’ win over Campbell, where he said could not provide further comment and referred to the University’s public statement.

“Regarding Aaron, I understand you may have some questions,” Diebler said to open his postgame press conference. “As stated, have to refer to the statement that was released and can’t have any comment on that. Respect the job you have to do. Just know I cannot comment on that any further.”

This comes shortly after news of a federal investigation into sports wagering activities broke earlier this week. Former Temple and Virginia Tech guard Hysier Miller was dismissed from the Hokies last month due to the investigation which first started after the Owls were flagged in March by a watchdog group for suspicious gambling activity.

With more names expected to be released in the coming weeks, the investigation has begun to narrow its search to players with ties to Philadelphia, New Jersey, and Delaware. Of course, Bradshaw is from Camden, New Jersey, just across the Deleware River from Philadelphia, and those with knowledge of the situation are suggesting he could be involved.

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Court documents do show that Bradshaw recently failed to appear in court following a speeding violation, where he was clocked at 102 mph in a 65 mph zone. However, similar situations of student-athletes speeding have not been handled in this fashion.

The wording of the statement does not make it seem like a minor incident that will soon blow over. This is certainly something to keep an eye on, with some believing it could lead to a nationwide ban on college sports betting.

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Men's Basketball

Kentucky vs. Jackson State: TV/Streaming Info, Keys to the Game, and Betting Odds/Predictions

Published

2 days ago

on

November 22, 2024

By

Kentucky players encouraging each other at Rupp Arena.
Chet White | UK Athletics

The Kentucky Wildcats are back in action Friday to face the Jackson State Tigers in the second game of the BBN Invitational.

To put it simply, Jackson State is bad, very bad. Sitting at 0-5 and ranked 321st in KenPom, the Tigers will likely be the worst opponent Kentucky will play all season.

Coached by Mo Williams, one of LeBron James’ old teammates with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Tigers have only finished above .500 twice in the last decade. This season, Jackson State is predicted to finish fourth in the SWAC.

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Mark Pope recently said he wanted to build a standard, regardless of opponent and, and that will be tested on Friday.

Let’s take a look at the matchup.

More 3-Point Attempts

Admittedly nitpicking, one of the things that Mark Pope was not happy with in Kentucky’s win over Lipscomb was the amount of three-point attempts. While they shot nearly 50 percent from deep, going 12-25, Pope wants to see the number of attempts closer to 35.

The Tigers have allowed their opponents to shoot 47.8 percent from deep, the second-worst mark in the country. Pope and the staff will certainly generate a game plan to take advantage of this. Expect to see 30+ attempts.

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Ball Movement

Despite beating Lipscomb by 29 points, the Wildcats had a season-low in assists with just ten. For context, Kentucky had averaged more than 23 assists per game entering the matchup.

“That’s not us. That’s not who we are,” Pope said after the game.

While there wasn’t a lot of selfishness, the ball just wasn’t ‘flying’ as it has been early this season. This is a priority for the staff and this mature group, and they will aim for 25+ assists.

Keep JSU off the Free-Throw Line

Jackson State ranks in the top 100 nationally in one area: Free throws made per game. So, Kentucky, defend without fouling.

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Kentucky’s offense makes headlines, but the defense has played very well to start the season, holding all four opponents to under 73 points. Let’s see if they can get down in a stance and defend well for 40 minutes vs. a team that stresses contact and drawing fouls.

Opposing Players to Watch

C Shannon Grant 6-11, 290 lbs

  • 7.5 PPG
  • 4.8
  • Preseason All-SWAC First Team selection

G Jayme Mitchell Jr 6-5, 190 lbs

  • 15.0 PPG
  • 3.8 RPG
  • 44.4% 3P

F Romelle Mansel 6-9, 220 lbs

  • 10.8 PPG
  • 5.8 RPG
  • 31.7% FG (second most FG attempts on the team)

Kentucky Wildcats Basketball vs. Jackson State Tigers

Time: 7 PM ET on November 22nd
Location: Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY
TV Channel: This game will not be on TV and is streaming only,
Online Stream: SEC Network+, ESPN+, and the ESPN app.
Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens have the radio call on the UK Sports Radio Network.
Replay: WatchESPN and SEC Network (check local listings).
Rosters: UK | JSU
Stats to Know: UK | JSU
KenPom: UK | JSU
Team Sheet: UK | JSU

Odds: FanDuel Sportsbook has yet to release the odds for the game, so check Thursday afternoon for an official spread. Multiple projections give Kentucky a 99% chance of winning: Bart Torvik (99%), EvanMiya (99.9%), and ESPN (99.0%). The exception is KenPom (92%).

Predictions: KenPom (93-63), Haslametrics (96-63), Bart Torvik (95-61), and EvanMiya (96-59) all are going with a 30+ point victory, Kentucky!

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Men's Basketball

Kentucky Basketball Players Say They Think About Winning National Championship “Every Second”

Published

6 days ago

on

November 18, 2024

By

Kentucky basketball players celebrate after their big over Duke.
IMAGN

The expectations at Kentucky are the highest of any school in the country, and there is good reason why. The winningest college program ever. Eight national titles, under five different coaches. Seventeen Final Four appearances. You get it, a lot of success.

Fans want the players to have those same expectations. Despite not having the elite talent or preseason hype of great Kentucky teams past, this year’s team still has their eyes set on doing something “people will remember forever”, winning a national championship.

Asked on social media, if hanging banner #9 was all the players thought about “every second”, Ansley Almonor had a response.

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“We do.”

It takes a lot to win a national championship, including some luck, but this team is certainly going to be loved for their desire to live out their dream of playing at Kentucky and their unselfishness. Those two things can take them a long way this season .

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